Buon Giorno from Courmayeur and Turin! Bonjour from Chamonix!
(Google map it!)
First of all Happy Birthday to Joe who turned 31 on January 23rd - Woo hoo! So glad we have such great friends to celebrate with in London, especially Joe's twin - Caleb who shares the same birthday.
Joe and I flew out to Italy on his birthday for a work conference/ski trip in Courmayeur, Italy where we were greeted with fresh snowfall the first evening. Too bad we were stuck to our chairs in a conference center the next day :(. We did get to board 1 day. There's something mesmerizing about snowboarding down a mountain with a view of Mont Blanc, the highest point in the Alps. I'm so proud that I didn't tumble down the mountain once (since last time I went snowboarding was 1 year ago), but Joe did experience his annual 'ass-splitter' in which one bounces off his or her butt and it feels like it just split in two.
Why 1 day? Well, the snow was actually just okay in Courmayeur - very icy at the end of the day. And seeing a few of our co-workers hobble around wasn't very encouraging either. Granted some of them did hurt themselves on the mechanical bull the night before. :)
We decided to rent a car so we could venture around town, which is probably the only way you would get to Courmayeur or Chamonix if you went on your own. Public transportation is not the best and can be expensive if you hire a private shuttle. Closest airport to either location is Geneva, Switzerland but note that you'll have to cough up the 39 EUR to drive through the Mont Blanc tunnel if you are staying in Courmayeur. Turin, Italy is a good alternative and it only about a 1.5 hour drive to Courmayeur. But hope you know how to drive stick because only cars that are fully automatic in Italy are Mercedes, which will cost you a great deal more to rent. We are cheap, so I made Joe try to remember how to drive a manual. Not to shabby! Only stalled once! :)
If you are lugging your photography equipment around and want to put it to good use, there are 3 ways to get a good view of Mont Blanc (4810 m) and the Alps without hauling your ski/snowboarding stuff around too. Each cable car will cost you about 20-30 EUR for a return ticket (brings you up and down):
1. Take the l'Auguille du Midi cable car from Chamonix (3842 m)
2. Take the Monte Blanc cable car from La Palud (in Entreves near Courmayeur) to Pavillon to Punta Helbronner (3462 m)
3. Take the Brevent cable car from Chamonix (2525 m)
The l'Auguille du Midi cable car was closed on the day Joe and I attempted to summit the Alps due to wind, so we decided to hike up (see photo above). No just kidding :). We took the Brevent cable car which is a bit lower, but the views are still amazing. It's expensive, but have lunch up at the summit so you can enjoy the views a bit longer. The typical dishes in the Alps are rich, cheesy (lots of Fontina), and oh so yummy. And don't forget to top it off with a cafe (espresso in Italian) or a macchiato (espresso with a little bit of foamed milk). For some reason espresso in Italy is always so much better -- Is it the coffee beans or the fancy machines? :)
And we can't leave you without just a few things to add to the recommended list. Be sure to make reservations if you are dining on the weekend during peak season!
/**Restaurants in Courmayeur**/
La Piazzetta - Via Roma, 13/a (green neon sign outside). Tel. +39 0165 844 150. Joe had really good octopus salad and I had fresh salmon (hard to find up in the mountains). The self-service buffet is delicious, but stack it up because you can only visit once. Don't forget the salami!
Le Vieux Pommier - P.le Monte Bianco, 25 (right near entrance to to Courmayeur). Tel. +39 0165 843 330. You can get your typical French/Italian Alps dishes that are at the top of the comfort food charts. Joe and I got the assorted meat dish for 2 that you cook on a grill at your table. The last thing we ended up cooking looked like a fatty hot dog, but it white spots were actually cheese! Yum :).
/**Bars in Courmayeur**/
Bar Roma - near the top of Via Roma, this is always a favorite for us when we have our conference in Courmayeur. Don't know what to do? You'll be sure to find someone at Bar Roma. The music gets turned up around 11pm which gives it a club vibe. Don't be shocked if they charge near NY prices for drinks. It's an expensive town.
Le Prive - Above American Bar on Via Roma. More chill than Bar Roma, a great place to talk and have pre-dinner cocktails and snacks.
/**Food in Chamonix**/
Have a crepe anywhere! You are in France! Then go to Le Glacier on the west end of Rue du Docteur Paccard to indulge in a Tutti Frutti muffin with real cherries and plums inside.
/**Shopping**/
Moncler - Jackets made out of a special light weight yet extremely warm duvet. Joe bought a beautiful coat from Moncler at an outlet near Milan at more than 50% off. There is a Moncler collection created in collaboration with Balenciaga from 2005. Didn't find any girl jackets, but the men's collection is very very nice.
Magnets - Joe and I are big magnet buffs and try to buy one from every city/country we visit. Got a good one from Chamonix, but we were a bit disappointed that we couldn't locate one in a ex-Olympic city (Turin). Will have to take a photo of our collection once it fills up the little space on our miniature freezer.
Vintage Postcards - I love collecting cards, stationary, postcards from different cities. It's just a cheap way to remember the views or the clever designs they use. Chamonix has a great collection of vintage French postcards. You can find them at most tourist shops.
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